The Friendship Bench Blog
Happiness Jar Fosters Positive Mental Health Habits
The stress that students place on themselves – and that are placed on them – is ever-growing. Exams, assignments, work, financial pressures, social pressures, and/or living away from home add an often unbearable amount of stress and anxiety to even the most...
Vancouver Island University Says #YellowIsForHello
We enjoy - and are grateful for - every unveiling ceremony for The Lucas Fiorella Friendship Bench and #YellowIsForHello student mental health campaign that we participate in. Each has it's unique character, story, and memories. Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo...
![How Laughter Fights Anxiety & Depression in Students [video]](https://thefriendshipbench.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Screen-Shot-2016-10-17-at-8.23.20-AM-1080x675.png)
How Laughter Fights Anxiety & Depression in Students [video]
While traveling through various universities and colleges last week I noticed a few groups of students playing the bawdy card game “Cards Against Humanity” and really laughing their asses off. I’ve played the game with friends, I know where that laughter comes from;...
Western Canada Secondary School Unveils Friendship Bench
W.L. Seaton Secondary, a Vernon, BC school unveiled the #YellowIsForHello student mental health awareness campaign yesterday in a ceremony attended by 900+ students, alumni, faculty, and community members. The effort to bring The Lucas Fiorella Friendship Bench to...
Being Honest About Your Anxiety and Depression
Depression is not new. It’s an ailment that can be traced back to Mesopotamian time when it was called “melancholia.” It’s an illness that affects a large portion of the population – all ages – in some form or another. Similar to the way someone could suffer...
Northern Ontario High School Unveils The Friendship Bench
St. Mary's College in Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario was the 3rd consecutive unveiling in as many weeks for The Lucas Fiorella Friendship Bench as we enter our second scholastic year attempting to paint the country yellow for student mental health awareness. . St....
4 Breathing Exercises to Help Battle Student Stress and Anxiety
The physical reaction our bodies have to the stress and anxiety experienced by our brains can be debilitating for many students but it doesn't have to be. There are proven breathing exercises that can truly help alleviate the physical reactions our bodies...
Story Arts Centre Unveils The Friendship Bench
What a wonderful celebration of students and positive mental health that we experienced yesterday! Centennial College launched its first Friendship Bench and #YellowIsForHello mental health campaign at its Story Arts Centre campus in Toronto, ON. Before the...
Mental Health Support Services – For Students Who Don’t Need It
Here at The Lucas Fiorella Friendship Bench, together with our partner schools, we’ve been working hard to connect students suffering from stress, anxiety, and/or depression with available on- and off-campus mental health resources. We know that too many students are...